Scottish Executive

Central Heating

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16621 by Jackie Baillie on 31 July 2001, how much will be invested in the central heating programme from each source in each year of the programme.

Jackie Baillie: The Scottish Executive is investing £26 million in 2001-02, £30 million in 2002-03 and £40 million in 2003-04. Allocations for the years beyond 2003-04 will be announced at the appropriate time. The Executive’s investment will be supplemented by private sector resources invested as part of the stock transfer process, but it is not possible to quantify the extent of this investment at this time. The investment by the energy companies under their Energy Efficiency commitment will follow from regulations to be made under the Utilities Act.

Central Heating

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the £5 million announced on 30 July 2001 for the installation of central heating in council homes in local authority areas where housing stock transfer is being considered each of the relevant authorities will receive and over what timescale this money will be invested.

Jackie Baillie: Glasgow Council and Shetland Islands Council have been offered £4.795 million and £205,000 respectively this year.

Central Heating

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the £5 million announced on 30 July 2001 for the installation of central heating in council homes in local authority areas where housing stock transfer is being considered comes from the previously announced £350 million funding for its central heating programme or from a different source.

Jackie Baillie: The £5 million announced on 30 July 2001 is part of the Scottish Executive’s contribution to the overall programme and forms part of the overall budget of £26 million for 2001-02.

Drug Enforcement Agency

Colin Campbell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact closure of the HM Customs and Excise drugs collection and co-ordination unit in Paisley will have on the work of the Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency and whether it was consulted about this closure.

Iain Gray: The Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency (SDEA) works closely with Her Majesty’s Customs and Excise Investigation Service and the National Criminal Intelligence Service in providing a co-ordinated partnership approach to tackling drug trafficking in Scotland. The closure of the HM Customs’ collection and co-ordination unit in Paisley, which is separate from the Investigation Service, is as a result of the establishment of a centralised unit in Ipswich. This internal reorganisation, about which the Scottish Executive was not formally consulted, will have no direct impact on the Investigation Service’s relationship with, nor on the work of, the SDEA.

Education

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, given that (a) additional financial resources for schools, as described in the Scottish Executive Education Department’s circular 5/2000, "must be clearly seen to be additional to existing planned education spending and to spending on individual schools", (b) the Scottish Borders Council (SBC) Directors of Finance and Education certified in their application for a grant for £416,000 on 18 December 2000 that the resources to be distributed to schools would be additional to existing or planned school budgets and (c) at the SBC Education Committee meeting on 30 January 2001 school budgets were reduced by £350,000, SBC is in breach of the terms of the award of the grant and, if so, what the consequences of such a breach are.

Mr Jack McConnell: It is not unprecedented for authorities to make adjustments, both up and down, to planned budgets for services during a financial year. The money to which circular 5/2000 refers has been allocated by the council to schools. The council has assured the Executive that this allocation is additional to the resources that would otherwise have been available to schools in the area.

Energy

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail any research which it or any of its agencies or non-departmental public bodies have commissioned from AEA Technology and when any such research work will be completed and published.

Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Executive has commissioned AEA Technology to undertake two studies:

  1. Analysis of the Costs and Benefits of a More Stringent AQS Objective for PM10 in Scotland. The Scottish Executive has received a draft final report for this study and will consider a dissemination strategy for this project on receipt of the final report.

  2. Climate Change: Projections of Energy and CO2 Emissions for Scotland. The Scottish Executive has received a final report for this study and is currently considering an appropriate dissemination strategy for the work.

  No information is held centrally regarding the commissioning of research to particular contractors by other agencies or non-departmental public bodies, other than for projects to which Scottish Executive contributes to directly.

  However, in the case of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, it is our understanding, following contact with the agency, that it has not commissioned AEA Technology for any current research. To contact other agencies or non-departmental public bodies would incur disproportionate costs.

Energy

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail any research which it or any of its agencies or non-departmental public bodies have commissioned from AEA Technology on future energy use or carbon emission; when any such research will be completed, and whether it will publish any extracts, including statistics, from any completed research to assist in the identification of overall energy requirements in Scotland and past, current and future carbon production levels.

Rhona Brankin: The Executive commissioned AEA Technology in October 2000 to disaggregate the DTI UK energy and carbon dioxide projections to Scotland. The Scottish Executive has received a final report of this study, entitled Climate Change: Projections of Energy and CO2 Emissions for Scotland , and is currently considering an appropriate dissemination strategy for the work.

  With regard to the commissioning of research by other agencies or non-departmental public bodies, I refer the member to my answer to question S1W-17304.

Energy

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail any research which it or any of its agencies or non-departmental public bodies have commissioned or undertaken into future energy use or carbon emission; when any such research will be completed, and whether it will publish any extracts, including statistics, from any completed research to assist in the identification of overall energy requirements in Scotland and past, current and future carbon emission levels.

Rhona Brankin: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-17305. The Executive has not commissioned any other research on future energy use or carbon emission.

  With regard to the commissioning of research by other agencies or non-departmental public bodies, I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-17304.

Energy

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish detailed responses and action points in relation to any studies that it or any of its agencies or non-departmental public bodies have commissioned on energy use and carbon emission.

Rhona Brankin: I refer the member to the answers given to questions S1W-17304, S1W-17305 and S1W-17306.

Energy

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will place in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre any response it has made to Her Majesty’s Government’s review of UK energy requirements as set out in Energy Projections for the UK .

Mr Alasdair Morrison: The Scottish Executive submission to the Energy Review is under preparation and will be placed in the Parliament’s reference centre when it is issued to the Cabinet Office.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to help former trawlermen with their applications for compensation from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) following the closure of the Icelandic fisheries in the 1970s and whether it will give details of any communication with the DTI on this matter.

Rhona Brankin: I wrote to the Secretary of State at the Department of Trade and Industry on 25 July offering all assistance in helping identify trawlermen who previously worked in Icelandic waters. I was very pleased that the Marine Laboratory in Aberdeen on behalf of the Scottish Executive was able to provide the DTI with further evidence of activity by Scottish vessels in Icelandic waters between 1965 and 1979.

General Practitioners

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the ratio of GPs to patients is in each health board area.

Susan Deacon: The ratio of GPs to patients in each health board area is shown in the following table.

  Ratio of GPs to patients¹, by Health Board (As at 1 October 2000)

  

 

Ratio of GPs to Patients 
  



Scotland 
  

1:1510 
  



Argyll & Clyde 
  

1:1415 
  



Ayrshire & Arran 
  

1:1539 
  



Borders 
  

1:1351 
  



Dumfries & Galloway 
  

1:1254 
  



Fife 
  

1:1528 
  



Forth Valley 
  

1:1494 
  



Grampian 
  

1:1543 
  



Greater Glasgow 
  

1:1600 
  



Highland 
  

1:1104 
  



Lanarkshire 
  

1:1728 
  



Lothian 
  

1:1586 
  



Orkney 
  

1:806 
  



Shetland 
  

1:1179 
  



Tayside 
  

1:1529 
  



Western Isles 
  

1:953 
  



  Source: General Medical Practitioner Database, ISD Scotland.

  Notes:

  1. Based on WTE of unrestricted principals and their equivalents in PMS practices, including vacant posts.

Justice

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prosecutions marked by the Procurator Fiscal for solemn proceedings were returned from the Crown Office marked down for summary jury trial in the sheriff court, expressed also as a percentage of total criminal prosecutions, in 1996-97, 1997-98, 1998-99, 1999-2000 and 2000-01 to date.

Colin Boyd QC: It is assumed that "summary jury trial" should read summary trial.

  Statistics do not exist to show the number of summary prosecutions commenced as a result of Crown Counsel’s instructions. The statistics for all reductions from petition procedure to summary proceedings whether by Procurator Fiscal or Crown Counsel are as follows.

  Cases reduced from preliminary solemn proceedings to summary proceedings

  


Reduction to Summary 
  

1996-97 
  

1997-98 
  

1998-99 
  

1999-2000 
  

2000-01 
  



1,409 
  

1,753 
  

1,652 
  

1,409 
  

1,493 
  



  Cases reduced from preliminary solemn proceedings to summary proceedings, expressed as a percentage of all criminal prosecutions

  


Reduction to Summary as % of total court disposals 
  

1996-97 
  

1997-98 
  

1998-99 
  

1999-2000 
  

2000-01 
  



0.9% 
  

1.2% 
  

1.2% 
  

1.1% 
  

1.3% 
  



  It should be noted that the decision of a Procurator Fiscal to place an accused on petition is not an expression of his or her view of where proceedings should ultimately be taken. It is a preliminary procedure which is followed by further investigation and consideration of the case.

Justice

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases under consideration by procurator fiscals’ offices were marked "no proceedings" due to a lack of resources in each of the past three years.

Colin Boyd QC: The following number of cases were marked "no proceedings" due to Procurator Fiscal staff shortages:

  1998-99

  Elgin 3

  Kirkcaldy 88

  Paisley 6

  1999-2000

  Elgin 1

  Kilmarnock 2

  2000-01

  Peebles 1

  No other cases were marked "no proceedings" on grounds relating to the resources of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

Licensing

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much extra revenue it expects each local authority to receive in fees from the renewal of bingo hall licences as a result of the Gaming Act (Variation of Fees) (No.2) (Scotland) Order 2001.

Mr Jim Wallace: The variation of fees is based on recommendations by the Gaming Board following a study of the board by the National Audit Office. It is designed to ensure that the licensing authorities (which in Scotland are the local authorities) recoup their costs without profit or loss, and without cross-subsidy between casino and bingo licensing. We have not calculated the specific revenue implications for local authorities, but expect the changes to be broadly neutral.

Millennium Volunteers Programme

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has in relation to the continuance of the Millennium Volunteers programme.

Jackie Baillie: The Scottish Executive is looking at the future of the Millennium Volunteers Initiative in Scotland. A review group is being set up to assess the impact of the initiative, consider its relationship to the wider volunteering contribution made by young people and consider how best to promote, support and recognise young people’s volunteering in the future. I expect the group to report to me by the end of October.

National Cultural Strategy

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how it selected the members of its National Cultural Strategy Joint Implementation Group.

Allan Wilson: The members of the Joint Implementation Group represent agencies whose involvement is central in the implementation of the National Cultural Strategy. However, the group does plan to invite representatives from other bodies to contribute to discussions on specific topics as and when required.

National Cultural Strategy

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive on what dates its National Cultural Strategy Joint Implementation Group is scheduled to meet over the next twelve months.

Allan Wilson: The Joint Implementation Group is scheduled to next meet on 14 January 2002. It is planned that the group meet every six months. However, no decision has been made as yet on the precise date of any subsequent meetings.

National Cultural Strategy

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what budget has been allocated to cover the costs of its National Cultural Strategy Joint Implementation Group.

Allan Wilson: The costs of the group will be met from within existing running costs provision.

Prison Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prison officers were employed at HM Prison Kilmarnock in (a) 1999-2000, (b) 2000-01 and (c) 2001-02 to date and what the percentage turnover of prison officers was in each of these periods.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The Scottish Prison Service does not hold such information. It is a matter for the operators, Premier Prison Services Ltd.

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what date the tendering process for the refurbishment of HM Prison Barlinnie’s B hall began.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The tendering process for the refurbishment of Barlinnie’s B hall began on 6 April 2001.

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many companies submitted tenders for the refurbishment of HM Prison Barlinnie’s B hall.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  Four companies submitted tenders for the refurbishment contract.

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the closing date was for the submission of tenders for the refurbishment of HM Prison Barlinnie’s B hall.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The closing date for the submission of tenders was 4 May 2001.

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive on what date the contract for the refurbishment of HM Prison Barlinnie’s B hall was signed and who the successful tenderer was.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The contract was signed on 19 June 2001. The successful tenderer was John Dickie Construction Limited, Burnfield Avenue, Glasgow.

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost will be of refurbishing HM Prison Barlinnie’s B hall.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The cost of refurbishment will be approximately £2.4 million including VAT.

Prison Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the staffing levels have been at each house-block in HM Prison Kilmarnock for (a) 1999-2000, (b) 2000-01 and (c) 2001 to date.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The Scottish Prison Service does not hold such information. It is a matter for Premier Prison Services Ltd who operate the establishment.

Prison Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16978 by Mr Jim Wallace on 9 August 2001, how it intends to utilise the £17 million underspend in the Scottish Prison Service budget for 2000-01.

Mr Jim Wallace: No final decisions have yet been taken on the allocation of End-Year Flexibility accruing from 2000-01 budgetary underspends to any Scottish Executive Department/Agency. The Minister for Finance and Local Government hopes to announce these allocations shortly, following Cabinet agreement.

Rail Freight

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether rail freight capacity on the west coast main line is sufficient to enable its targets on moving freight from road to rail to be met and what directions and guidance it will give to the Strategic Rail Authority regarding an increase in freight capacity, particularly in view of increased speed and reduced journey times of some freight trains.

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what powers, excluding the use of track access and freight facilities grants, it has to encourage the Strategic Rail Authority to develop the rail infrastructure for rail freight.

Sarah Boyack: The development of rail freight is a reserved matter and as such is the responsibility of the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA). However, in April, the Scottish Executive commissioned consultants to carry out a study to take a strategic view of the potential for developing sustainable freight movements across the whole of Scotland. This will enable prioritisation of investment projects aimed at promoting a shift to sustainable modes, such as rail, inland waterway or sea. The outcome of this study will assist our discussions with the SRA when it draws up the Freight Strategy for Scotland as part of its GB Freight Strategy.

Rail Services

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what financial support it plans to make available for the Glasgow Airport direct rail link.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive is contributing towards the cost of a study to examine in greater detail a number of options which arose out of an earlier indicative feasibility study for developing rail links connecting Glasgow and Edinburgh Airports to the Scottish rail network and to each other.

  Until the outcome of this study is known, it would be premature to make any commitment about financial support for rail links to Glasgow Airport.

Rail Services

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it plans to take to facilitate the progress of the Glasgow Airport direct rail link.

Sarah Boyack: On 25 July six invitations were issued to tender for the feasibility study referred to in my answer to question S1W-17421. Bids are due back in early September with a view to awarding the contract in time for work to start in November.

Rail Services

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what studies it has commissioned on airport rail links; when any such studies (a) were commissioned and (b) will report, and what the cost will be of any such studies.

Sarah Boyack: In August 2000, the Scottish Executive, the former Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions and the then Shadow Strategic Rail Authority jointly commissioned Booze, Allen and Hamilton to carry out an indicative financial and economic feasibility study to look at potential rail options for rail links to Glasgow and Edinburgh airports. Booze, Allen and Hamilton produced their final report in March 2001.

  As I indicated in my answers to questions S1W-17421 and S1W-17422, the Scottish Executive is in the process of commissioning a more detailed study which will build on the initial scoping work carried out by Booze, Allen and Hamilton. The study is expected to take about eight months to complete.

  The cost of these studies is commercially restricted information.

Rail Services

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions took place between it, the Strategic Rail Authority and Her Majesty’s Government regarding the two-year extension to the existing GNER franchise for the east coast main line.

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether a two-year extension of the GNER franchise for the east coast main line is in the best interests of Scotland and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) and Her Majesty’s Government on a wide range of matters, including cross-border franchises.

  Under the Transport Act 2000, Scottish ministers can give statutory Advice to the Strategic Rail Authority on cross-border franchises. They will do so in relation to the forthcoming negotiations on the east coast main line franchise. Before the enactment of that Act, Scottish ministers gave non-statutory advice to the SRA on the franchise in June 2000 (question S1W-8248).

Rail Services

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what infrastructure improvements are specified or anticipated to take place on the east coast main line within Scotland during the period of the two-year extension to the GNER franchise.

Sarah Boyack: The Strategic Rail Authority envisage that benefits during the two-year extension to the GNER franchise will concentrate on better performance, rolling stock and passenger facilities throughout the east coast main line.

Renewable Energy

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what use it makes of renewable sources of heat and energy in its offices and what advice, guidance or instruction it gives to non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies, local authorities and other public sector bodies on the use of renewable sources of heat and energy in their properties.

Angus MacKay: The current contract for electricity with Scottish Southern Energy was put in place on 1 July 2000. The terms of the contract require the production of electricity from new renewable sources, which enables supplies to be exempt from Climate Change Levy. Under the terms of the contract, electricity is supplied not only to the Scottish Executive but also to 31 other Scottish public sector organisations, covering 618 public buildings across Scotland.

  The Executive’s Scottish Energy Efficiency Office advises both the public and private sector on ways and methods of being more energy efficient, as well as advising on ways of obtaining energy from renewable sources.

Road Accidents

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-17365 by Sarah Boyack on 21 August 2001, how many personal injury accidents occurred on the A92 between Tayport and Glenrothes in each year from 1990 to 1995.

Sarah Boyack: The number of personal injury accidents on the A92 between Tayport and Glenrothes in each year from 1990 to 1995 is as follows:

  


Year 
  

Fatal 
  

Serious 
  

Slight 
  

Total 
  



1990 
  

0 
  

8 
  

4 
  

12 
  



1991 
  

1 
  

1 
  

14 
  

16 
  



1992 
  

1 
  

7 
  

20 
  

28 
  



1993 
  

1 
  

6 
  

23 
  

30 
  



1994 
  

2 
  

3 
  

18 
  

23 
  



1995 
  

2 
  

14 
  

16 
  

32 
  



Total 
  

7 
  

39 
  

95 
  

141

Roads

Colin Campbell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has (a) shared, (b) sole or (c) no responsibility for alleviating flooding problems on the M8 at Blackstone roundabout, Newark, Port Glasgow.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive, as trunk roads authority, has a responsibility to ensure that the A8 at Blackstone roundabout, Newark, Port Glasgow is properly drained.

  However, the main cause of flooding at this location is considered to be due to upstream problems with local watercourses which are the responsibility of Inverclyde Council. The Executive is contributing to a study by Inverclyde Council into alleviation measures to deal with flooding problems.

Saltire

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will introduce a practice of flying the Saltire at Victoria Quay at all times.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Executive has no plans to introduce such a practice. It is not our practice to fly any flags routinely, but only to mark special occasions in the calendar.

Waste Management

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many new waste incinerators are currently being planned or built by local authorities, specifying the location in each case.

Lewis Macdonald: This information is not held centrally.

Waste Management

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what consents local authorities are required to seek from it on the building of new waste incinerators.

Lewis Macdonald: Applications for planning permission for waste incinerators are a matter, in the first instance, for the local authority, as planning authority. Where the local authority is the developer or has an interest in the development, Scottish ministers may become involved and may have to determine a planning application for such development, but this would depend on the circumstances of the case.

  If the incinerator is an energy from waste project, where the output would be 50MW or more, it would require the consent of the Executive under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989. These consents have deemed planning consent.

Waste Management

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities have been given approval through their capital expenditure plans in each of the last three years to construct new waste incinerators.

Peter Peacock: The Executive has no role in the approval of local authorities’ capital expenditure plans.